Council members announce re-election bid

Mayor says he’ll ‘do something crazy and wacky’ for the campaign

Diane Trautman, left, supports Marcia McLean Thursday afternoon outside Fire Station 126, as McLean along with Frank Ferry and Laurene Weste announce their bids for reelection in City Council 2010.

Longtime Santa Clarita City Council members Frank Ferry, Laurene Weste and Marsha McLean announced Thursday they are running for re-election in the April 2010 municipal election.

The mayor and councilwomen stood together under a cloudy sky in front of Fire Station 126 in Valencia to announce their candidacy to a group of about 20 people, citing a unified stance of doing what’s best for Santa Clarita.

Ferry, Weste and McLean were reelected in 2006, beating out eight challengers.

The trio said traffic, transportation, neighborhood preservation, public safety and service remain high on their list of priorities.

“Santa Clarita is still one of the safest cities,” Weste said. “We have not cut back on the work to continue to make our law enforcement the best in the state.”

She also said her hope is to see more open space added to the developing green belt surrounding the city.

In light of the recession, McLean said the council needs to retain a focus on local commerce.

“Small businesses need to feel that they have representation on our council,” she said.

Ferry is principal of Bishop Alemany High School in Mission Hills, is former assistant principal of Saugus High School and has been on the council for 12 years.

McLean is a former government employee, is the city’s representative on the League of California Cities and has been on the council for eight years.

Weste is a prior commissioner for the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission and has been on the council for 12 years.

Having officially announced their re-election bids, the three said they will now set to campaigning and raising funds.

Ferry said he has between $5,000 and $10,000 left from the 2006 campaign, Weste said she has about $5,000 and McLean said she has very little.

Both McLean and Weste noted it will take more effort to raise funds in the midst of a recession.

When Ferry, Weste and McLean were re-elected in 2006, the city saw its lowest voter turnout since incorporating in 1987 — only 13.2 percent, or 10,526 of the city’s 79,164 registered voters — turned out to the polls.

When the three were asked Thursday what they plan to do to increase turnout, Ferry said low turnout is not always negative.

“It’s not necessarily a bad thing when people don’t vote,” he said, and added low numbers may tend to show residents are content with city government.

McLean and Weste both said the more voters that turn out, the better.

“I don’t know why people don’t get out and vote,” McLean said. “If you don’t take time ... to vote and express your (views), you can’t complain.”

Ferry plans to run a face-to-face campaign defined by precinct-walking, debates and phone calls.

“It’s important at the city level that you’re a grass roots candidate,” he said. “You’re still going to see me do something crazy and wacky during campaign season.”